Intimacy
by Love Is Rationed
Summary: Francis and Arthur are unlucky in love. They both hope to one day find love but when they meet for the first time, in a meeting of all places, an unexpected attraction is sparked. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Francis Bonnefoy never admitted he had a problem. He did have a lot of one night stands. And he couldn't recall the last time he had a real relationship with anyone. But he was a romantic at heart. He even lived in France, the country of love. How could he never fall in love?

He sighed heavily as he swept his blonde hair from his face and stood from his seat. The view of the lovely Eiffel Tower made him pause and a light laugh escaped his mouth. It was too early to think of such serious things such as his problem finding love. Perhaps it was nothing more than being picky or maybe he wasn't meant to find love.

Today was going to be glorious anyway. Francis grabbed the handle of his suitcase that had been beside his seat. It was sad to leave his beloved Paris even if would be for a few days. But it couldn't be helped that he had a meeting to attend in London. He sighed again, thinking of gloomy skies. With a final glance at the Eiffel Tower, he walked out his door. "Au revoir, mon Paris."

* * *

Arthur Kirkland adjusted his tie and grumbled angrily. He hated early morning meetings. It didn't help that he had overslept and had to skip breakfast. He hoped the meeting would go by quickly and he would have a secured deal to give to his boss, Ludwig. Holding his briefcase tightly in one hand, he walked quickly to the meeting room and opened the door. Arthur stopped short as he was met with a blond man, lounging in his chair. The man looked up at his entry and smiled kindly. He stood up. "Bonjour, I am Francis Bonnefoy. The head of the Paris division." He extended a hand.

Arthur blushed lightly and quickly shook Francis' hand. The man had gorgeous blue eyes and a voice tinted with a French accent. Even from where Arthur stood, he could smell roses. "Good day, I am Arthur Kirkland."

Francis was just as taken aback at the sight of the Englishman. His cute bushy eyebrows and the way he blushed made him all the more appealing. Francis made a note to try to take him to bed. He sat down again and pulled out a pair of glasses. "Let's get this over with, mon cher. London is too rainy for moi to stay long."

"Bloody frog." The words escaped Arthur's mouth before he could stop them. He held his breath as he waited for Francis to be insulted. But the man instead laughed and put on his glasses. Arthur thought it made him all the more handsome. He sat down and placed his briefcase on table, opening it. "Let us begin then."

* * *

Four hours. Francis had enough as he took off his glasses and pushed the paper away. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, aware of Arthur's green eyes on him. "I say we break for lunch, non? My treat."

Arthur looked at the spreadsheet on the table, biting his lip. "No, no. I'll pay. You are a guest here in London."

Francis shook his head and ran a hand through hs blond hair. "Non. I know a little place around the block here. It is très magnifique."

Arthur sighed as he nodded. "Fine, but only this one time. The next tab is on me, Francis." He stood up and jumped as Francis put a hand on his hip. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, frog?!"

"My apologies, mon cher. But I couldn't resist any longer. You are that beautiful." Francis watched, delighted, as a lovely blush colored Arthur's cheeks. He removed his hand. "Shall we go?"

Arthur nodded, allowing Francis to place his hand on his shoulder. A more appropriate place in Arthur's opinion. Now that Francis was closer, the smell of roses was stronger and sweeter. He wondered what the man was like. He knew well not to get his hopes up. Arthur was as unlucky in love as Francis.

* * *

Author's Note: First fanfic ever. Kind of awesome. Anyway, the characters here aren't mine, they are Himaruya's. I plan on including other couples in the upcoming chapters but I want to see how the first chapter goes. Sorry for shortness of first chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

The little place Francis had so eagerly talked about was a sushi bar named Kawaii Sushi. The sign out front had cute drawings of sushi all around the words. Inside, it was bright and colorful. Japanese rock music played over the speakers. Arthur had at first refused the sushi and opted for a bowl of fried rice. Francis had somehow managed to convince him to try a California roll and he had loved it. "Thank you for the meal, Francis. Though I really think should've payed." Arthur grumbled.

Francis smiled and took a sip from his soda. "Mon cher, I would never be so selfish to make you pay. You deserve all the good in life." He watched as Arthur squirmed in his seat, embarrassed at Francis' words. To distract himself, Arthur clumsily brought a sushi to his mouth with his chopsticks. It made Francis more attracted to Arthur who proved to be as cute as Francis had hoped. "Have you ever been in love, mon cher?"

Arthur nearly choked at the question. He covered it up by quickly taking a sip of soda. He avoided Francis' eyes. "Never. I had a few relationships here and there. It never worked out."

It was more than Francis could claim. All he had was casual flings. He gritted his teeth as he realized that Arthur was rapidly becoming a person to bed and leave. Francis looked at Arthur who was waitng for him to speak. He cleared his throat. "Did you ever come close to love, mon petit lapin?"

Arthur rubbed the back of his head and chuckled lightly. "Well, there was an American git. His name was Alfred F. Jones. We were in a relationship for three years. Then he moved back to the US and ended our relationship. Last I heard was that he was dating some bloke named Toris."

Again, Francis felt worse for trying to just bed Arthur. He deserved more than a one night stand. Arthur deserved love. Francis pulled out his wallet and took Arthur's hand, enjoying his protests for a few moments. To both their surprise, their hands joined perfectly. Arthur blushed and turned away. Francis chuckled. "Come, mon cher. Show me rainy London."

Arthur allowed himself to be led to the register where Francis paid. "What about work? We still haven't finished the deal."

Francis shrugged and squeezed his hand. "We can finish tomorrow, d'accord?"

Arthur sighed and nodded his head. He couldn't believe how easily Francis managed to make him do things. It almost felt like the times he was with Alfred.

* * *

Arthur had never had so much fun. He and Francis had visited Big Ben, the London Bridge and a quaint little shop to buy an umbrella when it had really started to rain. To Francis' amusement, he had managed to find an unbrella with the French flag.

Francis also gladly answered his questions about France and his other travels as they shared the unbrella to get to Arthur's apartment. Francis smiled sadly as they stood next to the door to the apartment building."Till tomorrow, mon cher. I had a wonderful jour."

Arthur fidgeted and smiled. "I did too, Francis. Perhaps after the meeting-"

"I would be pleased to spend my time here with you, mon cher. You are indeed beau." Francis reached out to touch Arthur's cheek but pulled back. "Well, bon nuit."

Arthur nodded. He was disappointed that Francis had pulled back. "Good night, Francis." He stayed outside to watch as Francis hailed a taxi and waved when the car passed him by.

* * *

"Hello?" Alfred rubbed his eyes wearily as he picked up the phone. Toris was asleep on his stomach. Alfred smiled and ran a hand through Toris' hair. "Yo, Arthur! Whoa, dude. Slow down. I can't understand anything you're saying."

Despite the fact they were ex's, he and Arthur had become somewhat friends and Arthur had even taken to his new love Toris. "Ok, so you went on a date. And you ate sushi. Dude, I thought you hated sushi and skipping work." Alfred listened as Arthur ranted about his reasons for doing what he did.

Toris roused himself as he heard Alfred's loud voice. He looked up at Alfred and Alfred gave him an apologetic smile. "Wait, what was the French dude's name again?"

Alfred tensed as Arthur answered. Toris shot him a worried glance. "Francis Bonnefoy? Dude, that guy is bad news. Gilbert told me he sleeps around like no tomorrow! You can't like him! He'll just hurt you!" Alfred winced as Arthur snapped at him about being a hypocrite and believing rumors. The call was ended as Arthur hung up, grumbling angrily about how Alfred couldn't be happy for him.

* * *

Arthur slumped against his bed as he held the phone in his hand. He had foolishly hoped Alfred would be happy for him. Arthur had been when he went to the US on Alfred's request and met Toris who had seemed a much better match for Alfred than he had ever been. Well, it had hurt a bit to see Alfred, who he had almost loved, be with someone who clearly did love him.

Now, here was Francis. A man with a dazzling smile and the smell of roses all around him. Arthur had hoped for some kind of relationship. Even if it was just as friends. Then again, he didn't want to be used for pleasure like some whore. Alfred surely knew what he was talking about. Gilbert was Alfred's brother-in-law and Arthur supposed a good friend of Francis to know such things about the man.

He sighed as he climbed up into his bed, not bothering to change.

* * *

Francis poured himself more wine as he paced around his hotel room. The room had no beautiful views like his apartment in Paris. He sipped at his wine. What had gone so wrong? He had planned to bed Arthur and move on. But he realized that he didn't want to hurt Arthur. He sat down on his bed and sighed. What would Gilbert say? Antonio?

Both of his friends were married and he had laughed at their 'misforture' when they had each announced their impending marriages. Francis had also felt a bit of jealousy that Gilbert and Antonio had found love. And he, the romantic, had still found none. That was until he met Arthur. He shook his head and downed his wine. He didn't love Arthur and he was going to bed him before he left for Paris. That was final.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for that awesome first review! I'm having a blast writing this! Looks like Francis is going to bed Arthur, no matter what feelings stand in the way. Bad idea.


	3. Chapter 3

Francis tapped his pen against the table as he looked at his watch. Arthur was supposed to come at 9 o'clock. It was now 10. All he wanted was to get this silly meeting over with, go on another date with Arthur, and perhaps get a few kisses tonight. He lifted his head as the door opened. To his disappointment, it was not Arthur at all. The man in the doorway was tall and had a severe look on his face. "My name is Ludwig Beilschmidt. I will be filling in for Mr. Kirkland." He walked to the table and put down his briefcase.

"Francis Bonnefoy. Monsieur Beilschmidt, what has happened to Monsieur Kirkland?" Francis asked politely. Ludwig sighed as he opened his briefcase.

"Mr. Kirkland is sick. " Ludwig answered as he pulled papers from his briefcase. Francis brought out his glasses again. Arthur was sick? Was it because they were outside in the rain the day before? Or was it because Arthur didn't want to see him for some reason? His heart hurt at the second option. Maybe he could go see him afterwards. Yes, he would see Arthur and comfort him. It would make Arthur all the easier to bed.

* * *

Arthur drew the covers up over his head. The clock mocked him ever since he woke up at six. It took him nearly an hour to call Ludwig and fake being sick. Ludwig had sounded doubtful but he let him have the day off anyway, promising a reprimand for the day before when Arthur returned. And so, he had spent the morning in bed watching the clock and wondering what Francis was doing. He was interrupted once by Matthew Beilschmidt who had sounded extremely happy that Arthur had managed to find someone. Arthur had hung up feeling much more cheerful.

That was at 11. Now it was 3 o'clock. He was starving and felt like taking a shower. Sighing, he got up and trudged his way to his bathroom. Arthur turned on the shower and quickly shed his clothes. The warm water felt amazing on his tired body. He wanted to stay in there forever. And he probably would have if it wasn't for the unexpected knocking on his front door. Arthur frowned and turned off the water, grabbing a towel and wrapping around his lower body.

The knocking came again as Arthur left his bathroom and walked to the door. He opened it cautiously. Francis swept in grandly with a basket on his arm. "Mon cher, I am half dead from spending all that time with Ludwig who is so strict and mean unlike you!"

Arthur blushed madly as Francis smirked at his state of undress. "How the bloody hell do you know where I live? And stop staring, you wanker!"

Francis swept his hair back. "Your landlady told me. And I apologize but you are très beau." He lifted the basket. "Et I will make you lunch."

"You don't have to do that. I'll make us lunch." Arthur reached for the basket but Francis moved it away.

"Non. You are ill, mon cher. Go get dressed before you catch your death." Francis moved toward the kitchen, smirking as Arthur went red again and left for his bedroom.

* * *

Francis poured the wine as Arthur sat quietly. He smiled. "Mon cher, how sick you are! You look feverish!"

Arthur looked up, his eyes filled with guilt. He faked a cough. "Oh, yes. Very ill. You might catch it."

Francis lifted an eyebrow and smirked. He leaned closer to Arthur. "Would that be a bad thing if I did?"

Arthur could smell the roses again and Francis' lips were so near to his that he wanted to lean in and take them for his own. He cleared his throat. "A sick Francis doesn't sound very charming."

"Oui, it doesn't. Plus I only have today left in London." Francis leaned back and went into the kitchen to get the bowls of soup he had made. He placed one in front of Arthur. "For my sick cher."

The soup looked delicious. Arthur felt even more guilty that he had skipped out of work and left Francis with Ludwig. "You're leaving so soon? I had hoped for more time." He moved the vegetables in the soup with his spoon.

"Yesterday was a dream. Today too. Even if mon cher is ill." Francis reached over and captured Arthur's hand. He stood up and walked over to Arthur.

Arthur watched as Francis leaned in and gently kissed him. The kiss grew more heated as Arthur's free hand tangled itself in Francis' blond hair. Francis ran his tongue along Arthur's lip, asking for entrance. Arthur gave it hesitantly. "Relax, mon cher." Francis whispered against his lips. He picked Arthur up, breaking the kiss. Francis was rewarded with two lust filled blue eyes. Smiling, he headed toward the bedroom.

* * *

"Where are you going, mon cher?" Francis asked tiredly. He and Arthur had made passionate love and Francis had been more than delighted to see that Arthur reacted to his every kiss, every touch. But now Arthur was leaving the warm bed for some reason. Francis watched as Arthur retrieved a pen from a drawer in his dresser. He came back to the bed and grabbed Francis' hand, writing his number on the palm.

"Call me when you get to Paris." Arthur snuggled into the covers and fell asleep before Francis could respond.

The Frenchman looked at the numbers on his palm. All this time, he had been denying growing feelings for Arthur just so he could sleep with the man and not feel guilty. He had gotten what he wanted. But Arthur didn't. He was disgusted with himself. Closing his palm, he forced himself to sleep.

* * *

A/N: Francis did it. He slept with Arthur. He got what he wanted. But now he'll have to explain to THREE people. And hopefully not be beaten to a pulp. Also, thanks for the awesome reviews! Makes me glad that people love this story!


	4. Chapter 4

"Bonjour?" Francis rubbed his eyes tiredly as he picked up the phone. He had been home for three weeks now. Three long weeks that had him tossing and turning in bed, trying to forget Arthur and the guilt eating away at his heart.

"It is me, the awesome Gilbert speaking!" The voice on the other end answered. This declaration was followed by Gilbert's signature laugh. "You are awesomely in trouble!"

"In trouble? Why, mon cher, I've done nothing wrong." Francis grimaced at the dirty lie coming from him. He turned toward the view of the Eiffel Tower.

"My Birdie and his brother are awesomely mad because Arthur locked himself up in his apartment and refused all calls. " Gilbert twirled the phone cord and looked toward the couch where Matthew was sitting, muttering about Francis being a dirty hoser.

"Arthur became a shut in?" Francis bit his lip and leaned against the wall. He felt weak and his heart constricting didn't really help. "Oh Dieu, I have hurt him terribly."

"You crossed the not awesome line! Seriously, what were you thinking?" Gilbert laughed again and ran a hand through his snow white hair.

Francis' phone beeped and he sighed. "Hold on a minute, Gilbert. I have another call." Without waiting for a response from Gilbert, he pressed a button on the phone. Immediately, Alfred's loud voice filled his ear.

"What the hell, you French whore?! How could you hurt Arthur like that?! So not cool, dude!" Alfred fumed. Toris watched worriedly from the kitchen.

"I assure you I did not mean to hurt Arthur. " Francis banged his head against the wall. He was stupid. He was an idiot. He loved Arthur. He hurt Arthur. Arthur probably hated him. Damn, damn, damn.

"Like hell, dude! I'm going to beat you with my baseball bat!" Alfred yelled. Toris came from the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Alfred in a calming hug.

"Mon cher, there is no need for violence." Francis already had that covered. His forehead bore a red mark from how many times it had recently kissed the wall. "Finish your ranting later, Alfred." Francis hung up on Alfred and returned to Gilbert.

However, it wasn't Gilbert at all. A soft, angry voice came through. "You dirty hoser, you better be planning to apologize to Arthur."

"Oui, I will. But I doubt he'll pick up my call." Francis rubbed his forehead and promptly made it kiss the wall again.

"Not over the phone, you ass. At my baby shower." Matthew seethed. His voice was still soft and barely audible. But to Francis, it was easier on his ears after Gilbert and Alfred.

"D'accord, I will apologize to Arthur. You have my word, Matthew." Francis slid down the wall and onto the floor.

"You better or you'll kiss my hockey stick." Matthew shoved the phone into Gilbert's hands and stalked out of the living room. Gilbert brought the phone up to his ear. "So we'll see you Wednesday right?"

Francis realized belatedly it was Sunday. "Oui, you will. One last question, what gender is the baby?"

"It's an awesome girl!" Gilbert beamed proudly, forgetting that Matthew had wanted to keep the gender a secret till the party. "Oh, try not to cause a scene at my awesome Birdie's party."

Francis wondered what would Matthew would do to him if he did. He shuddered. "I will try not to, Gilbert. See you Wednesday." He hung up and got up to pack and book a flight.

* * *

Francis rang the doorbell, a yellow and pink present in his hands. He hoped to soothe Matthew with the pretty little dresses he had shopped for before his flight to Ontario on Monday. The door opened to reveal a dashing Gilbert. He wore a silver shirt and black pants and a white tie. Gilbert smirked. "Welcome to Canada."

Francis smiled as Gilbert moved to allow him in. The living room was decorated very cheerfully. A table had been set in one corner for food and drink while a smaller table was for presents. Francis dropped off his present, adjusted his scarf, and sat down in a chair. "When are the others coming? And where is Matthew?"

"My awesome Birdie is picking up Maddy, our surrogate. She's awesome." Gilbert smirked. He stuck his hands in his pockets. Before Francis could speak, the doorbell rang again. Gilbert sighed and went to answer it.

Matthew and Maddy arrived after the new arrivals which turned out to be Ludwig and his fiance Feliciano. Francis greeted them all even as he felt Matthew's glare on his back. He tried to bury the nervous feeling in his stomach as he chatted with Maddy who was a rather lovely girl.

The party slowly winded up as more people arrived. Antonio and his husband Romano, who glared at Ludwig and cursed at both Antonio and Feliciano, his brother. Then came Ivan and Yao with their daughter Meixiu, a bubbly little baby who took all the attention as soon as they walked in. Kiku and his boyfriend Hercules soon arrived too along with Roderich, Vash, Lili, and Elizabeta. And lastly, Toris who came alone.

But no Arthur or Alfred. Francis was quickly becoming more terrified of Matthew as he chatted with his guests seemingly normal until he glanced over at Francis who sat playing with his scarf. Well, Matthew didn't expect him to apologize to thin air, did he? He sighed, hoping that Arthur arrived soon before Matthew murdered him.

* * *

Alfred was stressed. No, he was beyond that point. He was close to exploding. He had arrived in London Sunday night and made for Arthur's apartment. What he found was straight out of a nightmare (which almost made him abandon his mission and run back outside). The place was trashed with rum bottles.

He could smell rotten food and after searching the whole apartment, found Arthur half naked in the bathtub. Rum bottles were piled around the claw feet of the tub and Arthur was practically bathing in rum. It didn't help matters that the man keep muttering 'the wanker never called'.

And so, Alfred washed the tub, bathed Arthur, dressed Arthur, and packed some things for him. Alfred then dragged him out of the apartment and into a taxi. The plane ride back to Ontario on Tuesday (it had taken two nights and a day to bring Arthur back to life) was spooky. Usually, Arthur would be grumbling about something. Or in this case, cheerful because he was going to be a godfather in two months.

But poor Alfred had to listen to 'the wanker never called' all throughout the long flight. Once they were on ground, Alfred was more than ready to hit Francis with a bat.

* * *

Francis' head shot up as the doorbell rang again. Matthew got up and answered it, allowing Alfred and Arthur to enter. Francis stifled a gasp as Arthur still looked out of it. Alfred shot him a glare.

Arthur looked handsomely bad. He was wearing a blue button down shirt and black pants. His eyes had dark circles under them and he looked as if the world had collasped on him.

With an ashamed sigh, Francis stood and picked his way towards Arthur who had collasped on the couch. He sat on the arm of the couch and placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Bonjour, mon amour."

* * *

A/N: Will Arthur accept Francis' apology or at least return to normal? Or will he be stuck this way forever? Regardless, Francis does need a baseball/hockey stick massage. Please Review! Thanks for all the views and all the awesome reviews!


	5. Chapter 5

Arthur looked up at Francis as he finished his greeting. A part of Arthur wanted to say hello politely and the other part, the one that acted, drove a fist into Francis' nose. "You bloody wanker! How could you do this to me?!" Arthur yelled.

Francis stumbled back off the arm of the couch, a hand on his throbbing and bleeding nose. He hoped it wasn't broken. Everyone had stopped their conversations to look at the two. "Mon amour, I am terribly sorry for all the pain I've caused you. It was not my intention to hurt you as I did."

Arthur stood up from the couch and attacked Francis with hard blows from his fists. Francis refused to fight back, not wanting to hurt Arthur literally. Alfred, Matthew, and Gilbert rushed over and grabbed the enraged Englishman, pulling him away. Arthur was breathing hard and tried to ignore all the curious glances he recieved.

Francis, now wobbly and in pain, was helped by Ivan who held him firmly by the shoulders so he wouldn't collapse. Blood dripped steadily from his nose and mouth. His eye was already bruising and puffing up. He could feel other bruises flourishing on his body. Ivan looked rather amused at the Frenchman's condition as he had a big, childlike grin on his face.

Matthew looked torn between anger and concern for both Arthur and Francis. He moved to go help Francis but the man, despite being supported by Ivan, went limp and fell back into the larger man. "He fainted, da?" Ivan looked at the three in front of him as he laid Francis on the couch.

Arthur felt a flash of guilt as Yao, Kiku and Maddy approached to assess Francis. The party dissolved as Matthew played host and gave goodbyes to everyone leaving. The only ones staying were Toris, Hercules, and Ivan who had gotten Meixiu back from Elizabeta. Arthur sat himself down in a chair and watched as the others tended to Francis. He tried to convince himself the man had gotten what he deserved.

* * *

Francis awoke some time later with an icepack on his eye. The blood had been sponged away by Maddy. Yao and Kiku had made the assessment that Francis had scraped by with only bruises. He winced as he reached up and touched his nose. It felt swollen and ached horribly. A noise from the doorway leading to the kitchen drew his attention and he saw Arthur there, holdng another icepack. "You're awake. That's good." Arthur walked over to the couch and gingerly placed the icepack on Francis' nose. The Frenchman winced.

"Oui. So do you feel better? I realized that you might hate me for what I did. I was right, non?" Francis watched Arthur carefully as he contemplated the words. Francis couldn't see any emotion in those green eyes of his. Finally, Arthur sat down and sighed.

"It felt good for a minute or two." Arthur shrugged as his eyes roamed over Francis's swollen and bruised face. He stopped at blue eyes filled with pain and sadness. "Francis, I thought we had something. But you treated me like a one night stand and I let you. It hurt me so badly to know that I meant nothing to you."

Francis looked away from Arthur's gaze, a tear falling down his cheek. "Arthur, you meant everything to me. In those two days we were together, you were the closest I came to finding the love I so wanted. But I'm stupid and I decided to ruin it." Francis tried to stop the tears that now fell.

Arthur looked taken aback and he placed his hand on Francis'. " Have you never fallen in love with anyone else before?"

"All my relationships are one nights stands. I never really liked to stay afterwards to see the look of disgust when my partner for the night wakes up and sees me. I thought you would be the same." Francis tried to pull his hand away but Arthur laced together their fingers. He bit his lip as he mulled over the new information.

How could he blame Francis for acting the way he did when the man knew no better? He felt ashamed to think of all those nights that he had stayed awake after recieving no calls, cursing Francis all the while. Arthur sighed. "Francis, I don't hate you. I would like to start over if you'd like. Go on another first date or something."

Francis looked surprised but then relieved. "Mon amour, I would be delighted to start over with you. Merci for forgiving me. I never want to hurt you again."

Arthur smiled and brushed blond hair from Francis' face. "You git, this is the only chance you get." With that, Arthur leaned forward and kissed Francis who responded happily.

* * *

A/N: Francis got his Arthur back! But he will have to really try to keep him. Next up, their new first date! Thanks for the amazing reviews! I'm glad people have loved this story so far! Sorry for another short chapter though.


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